Snow falls across state, caps frigid week

Snowfall caps frigid week

Associated Press

Jim McNutt / Observer-Reporter

Scenes like this one on West Chestnut Street in Washington where one vehicle slid sideways while attempting to pass another stuck vehicle were extremely common Friday as a winter storm created havoc throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. Wrecks also were plentiful as drivers tried to navigate extremely slippery roads.
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Jim McNutt / Observer-Reporter

A PennDOT snowplow maneuvers around a stuck vehicle as it plows South Main Street in Washington Friday.
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Jim McNutt / Observer-Reporter

A hot cup of coffee keeps the chill off during the snowstorm as a man walks on North Main Street in Washington Friday.
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Jim McNutt / Observer-Reporter

A Washington & Jefferson College student walks to class during the snowstorm in Washington Friday.
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Walking West Walnut Street in Washington seemed better than using unshoveled sidewalks Friday as the snowstorm continued to create havoc in the area.

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STATE COLLEGE – Snow spread over most of Pennsylvania Friday, closing schools early and making for a tricky afternoon commute, as forecasters called for 1 to 4 inches through Saturday morning.

The state Department of Transportation reduced speeds on several roads and interstates in southcentral Pennsylvania, and turnpike officials declared a weather emergency. Crews were out in force plowing and salting to combat the relatively minor but widespread storm.

Hundreds of schools statewide dismissed classes early Friday, while at least one judge in Pittsburgh sent jurors home to beat the snow. Philadelphia International Airport was reporting average flight delays of nearly two hours Friday evening.

PennDOT spokesman Steve Chizmar characterized it as a “widespread storm, impacting the entire state” and said the transportation agency had 2,200 trucks available to fight the weather. Salt and anti-skid material were in good supply, he said.

The flakes capped a week of frigid temperatures. In northeastern Pennsylvania, officials said 71-year-old Walter Elwine was found dead in his unheated home Thursday, and that his wood-burning stove hadn’t been used recently, the Pocono Record reported. An autopsy was planned.

Meanwhile, a burst pipe at Stroudsburg High School caused a smoke alarm to get wet, setting it off and prompting a brief evacuation Friday. And in Scranton, a maintenance man using a heat gun to thaw a water pipe at a tavern set a small part of the building on fire Friday morning, causing heavy smoke damage.